Joshua Says He Wants to Fight Wilder Next, Not Fury
Anthony Joshua has once again re-emphasized his desire to fight WBC champion Deontay Wilder at Wembley on April 13 and rules out Tyson Fury as his next opponent.
The 29-year-old wants to become the first undisputed champion since Lennox Lewis in 1999 as he looks to rip away the Bronze Bomber’s WBC belt.
While Joshua has also disclosed how he is “running the game” after boasting seven world title defences since winning the IBF belt against Charles Martin in 2016.
“I’m willing to fight Deontay Wilder April 13th in London, so I don’t know what more I have to do to get that message across,” Joshua stated on ESPN’S First Take.
“He’s [Wilder] more interested in fighting Tyson Fury, Tyson Fury holds no world titles.
“I can’t control what Deontay Wilder does, I can’t control what Tyson Fury does, or even as far as what they say, what I can do is control what I say and what I’m doing.
“I make sure with the negotiations, I’ve booked the date in advance, set the venue in advance and I’m making my point clear in front of everyone, I’m willing to fight anyone of these guys.”
Joshua declared in clear terms: “Especially the champion Deontay Wilder April 13th at Wembley, what more can I say. I’m not interested in Tyson Fury because he’s not the champion.
“That lineal status, when I was joining the heavyweight ranks – no one told me about the lineal champion.
“I knew about WBC, IBO, IBF, WBA and WBO and I got four of them, so I don’t know where this lineal just popped out of the woodworks from.
“But I five got to get my hands on that too and that’s the belt the worlds interested in, Fury can step in if he serious.
“That’s where I’m coming from, I want to fight the champions. I’m the one leading the pack, I’ve been doing that since I made my debut, five years in, seven world title defences and I’m running the game – I mean business, Joshua concluded.”